It was the second time (after Jean-Claude Schlim's House of Boys) that a debut feature made in English has picked up the main prize. It turned out to be a great night for samsa film, which also won the best documentary prize for Jean-Louis Schuller and Sam Blair’s film about Chinese gambling High/Low and best animated film for Claude Grosch and Luc Otter’s charming Rose et Violet.
Iris Productions won two prizes, including an expected best co-production statuette for Olivier Masset-Depasse’s Illégal (which has picked up prizes at festivals around the world) and a rather more surprising artistic contribution award for Maisy Hausemer and Paul Scheuer’s script for D'Symmetrie vum Päiperlek (a film that has received mixed reviews in the local press).
Promising young director Govinda van Maele won the best short film award for his low-budget drama En Dag am Fräien (made specifically without the usual support from the Film Fund), and actress Vicky Krieps won the Young Hopeful award. The ceremony was expertly hosted by Gabriel Boisante with the help of visuals and music by Radar.